Let Her Go
by Ellaaine
Summary: Emma is the novice cop. During her first day of service she meets a woman who changes her life in just a few hours. So then why did she let her go? SwanQueen, AU
1. Chapter 1

I was listening Passenger's 'Let Her Go' for the umpteenth time and the plot just grew in my mind. So I thought that I can turn it into one shot, I hope you enjoy;)

And I don't own the characters.

* * *

It wasn't like Emma had bad luck. I was more like bad luck had Emma. She's stuck with it, or it's stuck with her since her parents abandoned her when she was still an infant. That situation started an avalanche of bad events for her. First orphanage, where kids constantly fought with one another, then foster families who gave her up as soon as they had their own child. It came to this, that in the end she began to run away, not wanting to wait for the new families to abandon her.

Such was her life for 18 years and she would like to be able to say that on her birthday something has changed, but she couldn't. The only thing that has changed was her 'dwelling-place'. Instead of the orphanage, she got she got the studio flat in the allocation in the least interesting area that existed in Boston. And then it was the first time when she was gratefull that she was quite good student, which enabled her the choice of profession.

She always knew that either she'll be a cop or she'll end up unemployed. She decided to take a chance and it paid off when she received a letter saying that she had been admitted to the police academy. And during every sleepless night, as she lay in bed in an empty apartment, her thoughts were returning to her first day of service, the one that changed her past life, but also made it even more muddled.

* * *

It was Christmas. Snow enveloped the entire city and wrapped it with white lid. With some relief she acknowledged news about the service, because she never quite knew how to properly spend Christmas. Especially when you are alone and you can't even afford a stupid so-called Christmas tree.

So there she was, with a badge, a gun and with a command to patrol the city. Of course, the Boston police had their cars and Emma received the keys to one of them, but decided to go on foot despite the heavy snowfall. She thought it would be much more interesting. And although she had to wait until the sun starts to set, she was right.

On the back of the building of one of the largest corporations there was a parking area. It was quite big, but there was one area excluded from the traffic, where there was a prohibition sign. And despite that, the black mercedes was parked there. The brunette woman, probably not much older than herself, was leaning against the car, reading some papers. Shaking her head in disapproval, Emma came closer.

"You know ma'am that this sign is here for some reason, right?" she said aloud, because the snow was falling more and more and the visibility has deteriorated.

"In that case, you should know, officer, that it is my mother's company. And this sign doesn't concern me" the brunette replied, giving the blonde a glare.

Emma was about to say that she don't give a damn about who's company it is, but she didn't get a chance to, because suddenly a quite big icicle broke away from the roof, just above the place where the brunette was standing.

"Watch out!" Emma responded instantly. She pushed another woman aside, shielding her with her own body. Unfortunately she was not fast enough to protect herself. She felt a stabbing pain in her right shoulder. It was so sudden that she let out a small groan and slumped to her knees.

"Oh my... hold on I'm calling the ambulance" she heard the brunette's concerned voice.

"No" and when she saw the other woman's surpised gaze she added "I can't go to the hospital, my boss is going to kill me" she said through clenched teeth, because her arm was going numb. So the other woman gently touched the icicle, what caused a loud hiss. "What the hell?!"

"I'm just proving my point officer. You have to go to the hospital. Now get into the car or I'll drag you" she added firmly as she opened the passenger door. Emma, feeling defeated, fulfilled this strange command. As soon as the car started to move, she felt something warm and sticky under her fingers, which she held around the wound.

'This service couldn't be any better' she thought.

"So now, tell me what's the deal with your boss?" she heard the question.

"What's the deal? Well, it's my first day of service and now what? I'm useless AND it's Christmas" she mumbled.

"I do not agree. You saved me, and that's a big merit" although the blonde wasn't looking, muttering something about the fact that it was normal thing to do, the other woman sent her a warm gaze. "I see what I can do about that"

"Whoa... I don't want to sound rude, but who do you think you are?"

"I'm almost sure I'm Regina Mills. And as far as I know, my mother's company recently gave a substantial sum to support the police" at this information the blonde forgot about the pain for a while and just stared at the other woman.

"THIS Mills? Like the most influential people in Boston?

"Well, according to what my mother always says I believe so Ms..." she paused, clearly waiting for the officer to speak.

"Umm...Swan...Emma Swan"

"Well then Ms. Swan, this is the hospital" only now the blonde remembered about her "issue". The icicle in her shoulder was almost melted, but the pain has only increased. "I believe that you're able to get inside on your own. I'll make a quick call and see what can be done about your boss" and with that, the brunette reached for her mobile phone. Emma, surprised (but pleasantly), dragged herself to the hospital entrance.

The diagnosis was not so bad, however it wasn't for the best also. Nerve damage and injury, requiring thirteen stitches. But it didn't matter for Emma. She just wanted to know when she would be able to return to work. And when the answer was that the injury doesn't prevent her from work, and she should just be careful if it comes to the arm, she breathed a sigh of relief.

When she left the treatment room with a bandage and an arm sling, her eyes fell on the only person who was in the waiting room. To her delicate delight, it was Regina.

"This job is still yours" the brunette greeted her. "Oh and you have a 'vacation' for two days. It seems that police knows what to do with the heroes" and another mutter about not being anyone special came as an answer. "So how's your arm?"

"They gave me painkillers, so for now it's fine. Aren't you late by the way?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, it's Christmas" Emma started, not exactly knowing what she wanted to say. "Don't you have something planned?"

"Oh, that..." Regina hesitated. "My mother invited me to some Christmas event with the people from her company, but to be honest I'm not sure, if I'll go. What about you?" maybe the waiting room in the hospital wasn't the best place to talk, but they seem not to mind that small detail.

"I don't know. Probably TV, couch and some ice cream" she said quietly.

"At Christmas?"

"Yeah... I'm kind of an orphan so I believe there's nothing much I can do today. For me Christmas is like any normal day"

"Oh, I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be" Emma cut in. "I'm kind of used to it. But I think that you have to go to that event. Nobody should be alone at Christmas" the blonde gave her a small smile, despite the urge to let the tears flow down her cheeks. And in that moment Regina took a while to look at the other woman. Although there was a smile on her lips, her eyes were sad. Hospital waiting room and her hand in a sling, have created an image that touched Regina deeply. She just wanted to hug the blonde and make her feel better. Suddenly she blinked when a thought occurred to her.

"Yes, you're right, nobody should be alone today..." it took another while before she raised her gaze to look at the blonde's eyes. "Which is why I'm taking you to my place" she said, getting up from a chair. "Would you like that?" Emma didn't respond right away. Instead she was just standing there in awestruck. For the first time she was invited somewhere...

"Emma?" Regina asked hesitantly, not quite sure if she was allowed to call the other woman by her name.

"I'd love to" she replied, and a smile lit up her eyes as well.

* * *

Regina's apartment was almost like luxury mansion for Emma. While the other woman was preparing dinner in the kitchen, the blonde got permission to look around. So she was wandering through the long hall. She admired shapes, colors, images and photographs. Those that attracted her attention depicted a smiling Regina. There was a picture of her childhood, of graduation, and one represented brunette with a woman with expressive facial features and unfriendly gaze, looking very haughty. They stood in front of a building. Emma concluded that it had to be the mother of Regina, and the building in the background the property of their corporation.

"I kind of joined the family business" at the sound the blonde slightly flinched and turned her head. Regina stood in the doorway leading to the living room.

"Don't get me wrong, but why do I get the feeling that if you hadn't done that, your mother would have turned you into the dust?" and this question made the brunette chuckle.

"I'm going to blame the painkillers for this outburst of honesty, but yes, you may be right. However I don't want to test that theory" she sent her a smile as the blonde nodded. "Oh and the dinner is ready" only now Regina remembered that this was the reason she come here.

When they entered the living room, Emma's gaze turned to the most beautiful Christmas tree she has ever seen. Not that she saw them a lot, but this one brought her not so small delight.

"Wow..." that was the only sound that the blonde was able to make. Regina looked at her with compassion. What must have been her life, if something so simple was able to impress her...

Maybe the lasagna was not exactly the Christmas dish, but for Emma it was the best dish ever. Even if she had to use hes left hand to eat it.

"What's so funny?" the blonde asked, noticing her amusement.

"Nothing dear. It's just nice of you when you're trying to use this fork properly, even if you're clearly right-handed" Regina explained, sending her a soft gaze as Emma blushed.

"Heyy, I hope that next time the prohibition sign will really mean to you the prohibition sign" she teased.

"Fair enough" the brunette said as she took a fork with her left hand. This time the blush on Emma's face was not caused by embarrassment at all.

Once the dinner was over, Regina started to clean up, though Emma insisted on helping her. When she didn't get the permission, she shook her head in amusement and walked closer to the Christmas tree.

"Wine?" after a few moments she heard a voice behind her. As she turned around she saw the brunette offering her a glass of red wine.

"Yes please" she smiled and reached for the glass. She wasn't aware that she started to use her right hand. When she saw her fingers touched the glass, she shuddered. She should have felt the slippery surface under her fingers, but it was nothing there.

"What's wrong?" the brunette asked instantly.

"I...I can't feel anything" she whispered in shock. Regina quickly put the glasses on the table and walked over to the blonde.

"Give me your hand" she asked and Emma did that. When her fingers touched the brunette's hand, she felt something like a weak pulse of heat that has passed through her body. Regina clasped their hands and gently squeezed. "Can you feel that?" it came out as a silent whisper. The room was dim. The only light sources were stars and lights on the Christmas tree. And it was the latter that illuminated the pale face of Emma. And it that moment, she seemed beautiful to Regina.

"Only a bit" came as an answer. Despite the fear she suddenly felt safe. Looking at this almost strange woman in front of her, she thought that she could look at that face forever.

"Try to squeeze" as she said she felt that the blonde's hand moved. It was not a firm grip, but enough to calm the two women. "I'm sorry" Regina suddenly said.

"For what?"

"It's my..."

"Oh don't" Emma cut in. "It was my decision. See?" she pointed at ther intertwined fingers. "It's just the matter of time when I'll be able to crush your hand with my strenght" she teased and the brunette finally smiled. "That's better, smile definitely suits you" and she gave her a warm grin. Regina felt her heart began to beat faster.

"Emma?" she started with her voice slightly trembling.

"Hm?" she kept her eyes on the other woman.

"Do you believe in coincidence?"

"No. I believe that everything happens for a reason. Even icicles digging into people" she tried to joke, although her breath was shaking because of the close distance between them. "Do you?"

"No. I believe that that sign was there for a reason, other than icicles" Regina replied and unconsciously her eyes fell on Emma's lips. It was the only thing that the blonde needed at that moment. She leaned forward and gently kissed another woman. It brief as if she was still afraid of rejection. But instead of rejection, she received a kiss back. It wasn't rough, but very passionate. She felt a tongue on her bottom lip and she quickly parted her lips to let it in. Her left hand wandered on Regina's waist as she pulled her closer. They both longed for the closeness and it wasn't about an alcohol at all. The full glasses were still on the table, but they didn't need them. They've already gained the courage to reach for what they both wanted. Suddenly the brunette broke the kiss.

"Shh" she whispered as she saw that Emma wanted to say something. Still with their hands clasped, she led her to the bedroom. It was a cozy room with a large bed. Three colors were mingled there, white, black and burgundy. Emma thought that this room reflects perfectly it's owner way of being.

Regina slightly pushed the blonde so she had to sat on the edge of the bed. She gently removed the sling and put it on a small bedside table. And all Emma could do was just to allow the other woman to do so, with her gaze directed at her. But seeing the hesitation on her face, she reached her hand towards the brunette.

"Come here" and so Regina did. She sat next to the blonde. "You're beautiful" the blonde whispered, looking into the most perfect brown eyes she's ever seen. It was crazy. This incredible force that was pushing her towards the other woman. The way she was trembling, though it wasn't cold inside the building. And it was also confusing, because she didn't even know if Regina was gay. And she for sure wasn't ready for a heartbreak.

The brunette just smiled. She wasn't used to this kind of compliments. For sure she received some from her 'dates' that her mother arranged for her, but nobody never said that in the way Emma just did. Sure, she knew somewhere deep inside that she liked girls in the way she probably wasn't allowed to, but it was really silly of her to have feelings for someone she has just met.

Emma suddenly stood up. With a smug smile she took off her belt, at which she wore a gun and put it next to the sling. She also took off her red jacket, remaining only in a white tank top. She still wasn't able to use her right hand, nevertheless she was grateful that the painkillers were still working. Regina watched her carefully, as soon as the blonde moved closer again. Without warning, Emma pushed her so she would lay down on the bed. As soon as she did, the blonde sat astride her. The brunette tentatively embraced her waist.

"Kiss me" Emma whispered. The brunette looked at the woman towering over her with a warm gaze. She grabbed the front of her white top with one hand and gently pulled until their lips crushed in a tender kiss. Soon their tongues started to explore each other and their kisses become more and more passionate. Emma, hesitating, tried to move her injured arm. When she succeeded to her own surprise, she propped herself up with her left hand. The right hand she slowly slipped under Regina's blouse.

"You're beautiful" another whisper reached Regina's ears as their lips parted. She only took a moment to look into the green orbs of blonde before she leaned to capture her lips.

That night was their night, all about the closeness and tenderness. They made love as if they were old lovers, who knew each other thoughts, feelings and desires...

* * *

Sunlight burst into the bedroom, revealing to the world one of the most beautiful views, the feeling between two people. Two women were lying under the sheet, their bodies tangled together. Emma was the first one to wake up, because her arm began to hurt. With a smile on her face she discovered that she was still in that bedroom. To her delight, she felt someone's bare legs tangled with her own. Her left hand rested on someone's bare waist. And with another warm feeling, she reassured that all of this, together with a dark hair near her face, belonged to Regina.

"Morning" she said lightly as she saw the other woman slowly waking up.

"Morning" the brunette replied with a wide grin. Right now, she felt like a naughty teenager and it was one of the greatest feelings she's ever have. "That was amazing" she added quietly, feeling a bit shy.

"You were amazing" she assured her and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek as the brunette blushed.

But suddenly the idyll was gone. They heard the sound of the key in the door. Regina immediately looked at her watch. It was almost half past eleven.

"Shit, It has to be my mother" she said with horror in her voice. Emma felt sick. She jumped out of bed and began to dress up. Regina reached for her robe. At this moment the door opened.

"Regina? Are you there? You weren't at the event. Some of my friends were really disappointed and so was I. So are you going to tell me what..." she paused as she walked into the bedroom. Regina's just ended to tie her robe and Emma was sitting on the bed wearing her top and pants, trying to put her shoes on with her left hand. Her right hand ached so much that she was unable to move it.

"Mother, I can explain..." Regina started, but the older woman slapped her on the cheek.

"Hey!" Emma jumped to her feet.

"How dare you..." she continued, still looking at her daughter. "I despise you"

"Be careful what you say" blonde said through clenched teeth.

"You dare to speak? You vile little slut..."

"Mother!"

"Get out of my face. Right now" the older woman said to Emma.

"What if I'm not going to?"

"Emma don't..." Regina whispered, sending her sad gaze.

"What then? Watch me" brunette's mother saw a gun still placed where Emma put it the previous night. She quickly walked over and grabbed it with an awful smile. Emma thought that she will aim the gun at her, but instead, the woman pointed it at her daughter. The blonde paled.

"Are you out of your mind?!" she cried.

"I'll say it one last time. Get out of here and never try to show near my daughter ever again" her voice was full of hate. The blonde looked at Regina. She was also pale as a ghost. Her eyes were begging. So Emma had no choice. She quickly took the rest of her stuff. She had to use also her right hand, so her face contorted a huge grimace.

"My gun" she said in a husky tone. The woman smiled triumphantly and threw a gun to her.

"Next time I'll aim at you and I won't hesitate to pull the trigger" blonde inored her and looked at Regina. She didn't move even a bit, still looking at Emma.

"Goodbye..." she whispered, feeling the tears began to run down her cheeks and then she almost ran out of the apartment.

* * *

And although it's been two years since then, that situation still haunted Emma in her dreams. That one night she fell in love and she wasn't strong enough to keep it, she just let _her_ go...

 **I have to admit that this story is longer than I've previously planned. And for now it doesn't have happy ending. So my question to you is, would you like another chapter?**


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for the reviews! So there you go, enjoy the chapter;)

* * *

Three years. Another three fucking years and she still couldn't recover. Of course that she was trying to find Regina. It was the first thing on her mind, but after a year of searching, she began to lose hope and after five years, she's completly lost it. She didn't have anything, not even the phone number. Regina's apartment was empty now. The company didn't want to give her any information. The only thing that she managed to find out, was the name of Regina's mother, Cora. And she could bet that it was Cora's fault that she wasn't able to find Regina.

What about her arm? The stitches were gone, but she was far from good. Increasingly it was numb and things were slipping out of her hand. Since she's left that apartment, she wasn't able to feel the warmth under her fingers. It was like her hand was connected somehow to her heart. It either felt cold, or nothing at all.

* * *

It was June. Since it was warm outside, she was ordered to patrol the parks. Lately drunk people started to appear there, scaring the children and disrupting the rest. So there she was, in her white tank top, skinny jeans and red trainers. That color somehow reminded her of the other woman. A badge and a gun she wore at her belt. She learned to handle a gun with the left hand, so it wasn't a problem anymore.

"Lovely day, isn't it?" one of the passers-by asked her.

"Not as lovely as our pretty officer!" she was used to that. It happened to her all the time. Sometimes this kind of attention was nice, but most of the time she was just fed up. Unfortunately this wasn't a harassment, so she had to learn to ignore it. She had other things on her mind.

She was just passing near the playground, when her attention was dragged by a little boy. He wasn't playing with the others, just sitting away on the grass with his head down. She looked from side to side, but no one paid any attention to him. She frowned.

"Hey little man" she said as she sat on the grass next to him. He looked at her. She noticed that he had tear-stained face, but it was a very nice boy. His dark hair was impeccably trimmed, and the clothes perfectly matched.

"Hey..." he sobbed. "I'm not allowed to talk to strangers" Emma smirked. 'Smart kid' she thought.

"Okay, I see your point. But look" she pointed at her badge. He looked in the indicated direction.

"Are you a cop?" he asked, slowly ceased crying.

"Yes I am. And my name is Emma" she smiled, trying to encourage him.

"I'm Henry" he said shyly.

"See? We're not strangers anymore" she gave him another smile which he returned. "So how old are you buddy?" in response he showed her an answer on his fingers, four. "Are you here all alone?" she asked him, partly knowing the answer. The boy said nothing. "Henry?"

"I run away..." he finally confessed. Emma just waited until he'll be ready to tell her more. "...from my grandmother"

"Why?" she learned to ask simple questions.

"Because she doesn't like me. And she doesn't like my mom. They always argue" the blonde looked at him with understanding. There were a lot of families like his. "My mom is always sad, you know?" Henry continued his story. "She often cries at night. She thinks that I'm asleep, but I can hear her" as he was talking, he was playing with the single blade of grass. "My grandma says that she got what she deserved. I don't get it" he said with childlike simplicity. Emma listened him attentively. "I just wanted to make my mom smile. She always smiles when I give her my gifts" he grinned.

"So why were you crying?" the blonde asked once the boy was done with his story.

"I...I wanted to buy her flowers...so...I stole some money from my grandma when she was in the toilet" he said ashamed.

"Henry, it's not what good boys do" Emma gently rebuked him, but in fact she began to feel sorry for him.

"I know, I'm sorry..." he whispered.

"It's okay, just don't do that anymore" she smiled as he nodded.

"I went to the florist, but I didn't have enough money" Henry continued.

"So that's why you were crying?"

"Yes..." at that moment, Emma felt great sympathy for the boy. He was very mature for his age.

"I think that I have an idea" the blonde started.

"You do?" the boy looked at her with hope.

"Mhhm. What would you say buddy, if we go and buy these flowers?" she stood up and offered him a hand. He took it.

"Really?" the smile lit up his face. It was then when Emma saw his eyes. They were really lovely, brown and dark. They had something that made Emma's heart beat faster. For a while she thought that she saw Regina in them. 'You have something wrong with your head Emma' she thought. She took boy's hand and walked toward the florist.

She had to admit that this bouquet was perfect. Henry chose the most colorful flowers that were available. This bunch of flowers maybe wasn't super big, but it smelled and looked beautifully.

"You think she'll like it?" Henry asked as they left.

"She'll love it kid" she smiled. She was about to say something else, but her phone rang.

"Hi Emma, you won't believe!" she heard her colleague's excited voice.

"Okay Matt, surpise me"

"Cora Mills's grandson is missing! Can you believe that?!" he started babbling in amused voice, but the blonde was no longer listening. The phone, which she held in her right hand has slipped from her palm, which suddenly stiffened. She felt like she was about to throw up.

"There, you dropped it" not aware of anything, Henry handed her the phone. She took it with her left hand, but it wasn't much help since her whole body began to tremble.

"Emma? Are you still there? Or on the floor laughing your ass off?"

"Yeah" she tried to sound amused. "I'm in the park right now, want me to look for the kid?"

"I think that would be the right thing to do. You lucky one! I'm stuck in the office and you're looking for the rich kids. You owe me one, girl" he said and ended the call. The blonde looked down at the child.

"Henry, what's your mom's name?" she asked, though she was almost sure she didn't want to hear the answer.

"Regina" he replied with a smile. This name echoed in Emma's ears and she felt she was no longer able to stand. Practically she fell to the grass. Henry, thinking that this was some sort of a game, sat next to her. "We will now look at the shapes of the clouds?" his whisper was so innocent, that Emma had to turn his head away, so he won't see the tear running down her cheek. She quickly wiped it as she sniffled quietly. So the boy stood up and walked to the other side. He bent down and looked into Emma's eyes. "You know that my mom also does it?" he remarked sadly. And in that moment Emma knew that she fell in love with that little boy. He was so sweet, kind and caring and what's most important, he had his mother's eyes. His mother... At the thought of Regina, Emma's heart ached. She was a mother, probably she had a husband, but, as Henry said, she was sad... And the thing that hurt Emma the most was that it seemed that the brunette's forgotten about her and started a new life, where she didn't play even the smallest role...

* * *

The moment Emma left the apartment, Regina felt like something was torn from her, some part of her that was responsible for being able to feel. Her mother was furious. She almost disinherited her, but something stopped her. Regina then didn't know what it was, but the answer came a few months later as a man stood in front of her new apartment. She thought it would be another pointless date, that her mother's arranged for her. Oh, how wrong she was...

He didn't even bother to dress up properly. He get into her apartment, as if he was the host. Right away she felt that something was wrong. And then she began to be afraid.

"Mmm, such body..." he said and stepped closer. When she realized what he was about to do, it was too late. Without warning he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. He then threw her onto the bed. He began to undress her, ignoring the protests and cries. "Scream as loud as you want honey. Nobody is going to help you" he said hoarsely as his greedy lips began to kiss her. She tried to push him away, but he was too heavy. He grabbed her wrist and twisted backwards. She groaned quietly. "That's better".

She was paralyzed with fear. She hated his touch, voice and smell, but she no longer had the strength to scream. She just closed her eyes and waited until he's done, tears running down her cheeks. And it was when she thought about Emma, about the night with her. It was the first time when she really felt safe and...almost loved... She remembered her smile and her sweet scent. She smelled like cocoa and cinnamon... And it was all she needed. This brief memory of the girl gave her the strength to survive that night.

When he was done, he simply dressed up and left, leaving her naked, shaking and broken...

A few weeks later she discovered that she was pregnant. Of course, she could have sued him for rape, but she knew that her mother wouldn't let her. It would have caused too much scandal and it would be bad for the company. So did nothing and soon she fell into depression.

But then Henry was born. And he was like her small ray of sun in a stormy days. She named him after her father, whom she deeply loved. When he died, for a brief moment it was Emma who brought the love in her life again, but she was gone too soon to tell her that. Her mother cut off her all contacts and she wasn't able to find the blonde. And after a few years, she lost hope that the other woman still remembers her. Now he had only Henry.

So when her mother called her and told her that her son is missing, she got the same feeling, when she's lost Emma. She felt lost and empty...

* * *

"I can't believe my eyes! You made yourself a brat Emma?" the blonde heard a familiar male voice. When she turned her head and saw the police officer from the eastern district. She hated him. He was always rude and clearly tried to hit on her.

"Get lost Stevens" she snapped, because she really wasn't in the mood to handle him.

"Uh-uh, someone here is getting pissed" and at that, she stood up and she walked closer to him.

"I said get lost. He's not my kid" she tried to calm down, because she knew that Henry was watching.

"Ah, now I know! That must be this Mills' kid!" she was sure that almost half of the people in the park heard him. "You're a good piece of work, huh?" he asked the boy.

"Leave him alone Stevens"

"Hey cutie, what's wrong with you today?" and without any permission, he put his arms around her waist. Her reaction was immediate. She punched him in the face so hard, that she was sure that she broke his nose. "Fuck Swan!"

"I warned you" and with that, she turned to face Henry. "I'm sorry for that"

"It was cool!" he grinned. Emma thought that probably his simplicity, was his biggest advantage.

"We're not done" she heard Steven's voice, but when she turned, he was already gone.

"Well, I think that I should take you to your mom buddy" she started, suddenly feeling really sad.

"She's at work right now"

"Then lead the way" she said and followed after the boy.

* * *

Regina stood at the window, impatiently waiting for a call from the police, when the door to her office's opened. She turned around and she saw nobody else but her little boy, standing right in front of her.

"Hi mommy!" little boy shouted. "This is for you" he handed her a bouquet.

"Oh Henry" she took the gift with the large smile. She felt so happy and relieved at this moment.

"I'm sorry that I run away, but I really wanted to make you smile with those flowers!" and with that, she just hugged him and kissed his forehead. He thought that Emma was right, his mom really liked the flowers. Emma...right...this reminded him of something. "Here, this is also for you. But this one is not from me" he did as the blonde asked him to. Regina took the small piece of paper from his little hand. She felt strangely familiar smell of cocoa and cinnamon and this single scent made her heart skipped a beat. She looked at the paper.

 _'I think someone must have invented the prohibition sign, banning having such wonderful children._ _And we both know that you're terrible at obeying to these kind of signs'_

There was nothing more there, but it was enough for Regina to let a tear of joy roll down her cheek. And the hope that has once expired, again lit up inside her. She was sure that it was Emma, who's found her son. And this time she wasn't going to let her mother destroy her life. Because when you find someone you want to spend forever with, you _don't_ let them go, whether forever turns out to be a day, or a year or a hundred years...

* * *

 **I have to admit that this fic really got me. I never thought that it would turn into such a long story, but it somehow did. I hope you don't hate me that much for what I did to Regina... Anyway, I have another chapter in my mind so if you still want to read it, I'll be more than happy to write it to you c;**


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you so much guys! It's amazing feeling to write something that people actually want to read. Enjoy the last chapter;)

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When Emma watched as the boy enters the building, she had to stop herself from following after him. Because she knew where he was going and she knew who he is about to see. Regina... She felt another unpleasant twinge near her heart. Henry was four now... And that means that Regina must got pregnant not so long after their first meeting. What leads to the conclusion that she didn't have any deeper feelings for her...

But Emma had...And to be honest she still has. One stupid meeting and she was head over heels for that woman like some teenager, though she was almost 28.

'Someone up there is clearly having fun watching me failing every fucking time' she thought and was about to leave when she's heard the voice that made her fists clenched.

"I warned you Ms. Swan" Emma turned her head and saw Cora Mills standing only a few meters away from her.

"Long time no see" she said through clenched teeth.

"You disrespected my warning" Cora sounded...amused to Emma's surprise.

"You really don't need to thank me for finding your grandson. You're welcome" she replied, trying to sound calm. For a moment the older woman seemed confused.

"Where is he now?" she asked curtly.

"Clearly not with me" Emma snapped. Cora approached her quickly.

"How dare you..."

"Just like that" the blonde just felt like being cheeky. "See this is the difference Mrs. Mills" she started her monologue. "We're on the middle of the street. This place is quite well visible for the citizens. So this time, I won't let you threaten me. You may won that time, but now? No. This time I'm setting the rules" she ended almost whispering, her voice extremely husky. "And Henry? He's with his mother" and with that, she turned away and started to walk away.

"So it seemes that I have won again, haven't I?!" that triumphant tone forced her to stop.

"What is your problem?" Emma almost shouted.

"You" it came as an answer with tone full of hate. "I've worked for my family's reputation for a really long time and I won't let some little nothing like you destroy it because of your abnormal cravings. My daughter was feeling miserable. You think that she wanted to have a child? No, I wanted to have a grandson. So I set her a date. It worked, don't you think? But if you ask my daughter about that, well, who would like to talk about being raped?" at this moment Emma felt like an invisible hand squeezed her guts. "And now she even doesn't remember you, how traumatic...And you know why? Because people tend to erase bad memories. And you are nothing more than just a bad memory. If not you, nothing bad would have happened" her laughter filled Emma's ears. She felt like somebody has just stabbed her straight in the heart. She didn't say a word, just turned around and tried to walk as fast as she could, hot tears running down her cheeks. She didn't want to give the satisfaction to that woman, but she couldn't act otherwise. She was too hurt by her words.

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A week passed. Emma herself not quite knew how she survived it. She barely ate or drank, to be honest it would be fair to say that she just existed. Nothing more, simple existence requiring breathing. She haven't felt that bad for the past five years. And suddenly after a week she was exhausted. The thought of Regina being harmed in that way by some man was unbearable. So it wasn't hard to guess that because of all that she's almost threw up when she got the call to the park near Regina's work, because of some small street fight.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me" she muttered under her breath when she arrived to the park and saw Stevens already dealing with the hooligans. "It's my case"

"Not anymore sweetie" she heard his satisfied tone. "I was here first"

"Don't piss me off"

"I wouldn't dare. After all, you like me" he gave her a look.

"Probably I hit you a little too hard" she said almost amused and started to walk away.

"Sooner or later you'll end up in my bed Swan!" and to that she showed him a middle finger and not turning around, unconsciously walked towards the park.

The weather was nice and because of that, her outfit hasn't changed at all, the same top, jeans and red sneakers, gun and badge on the belt. But something was different. A week ago she was quite lively, now she was more like a human wreck. When she saw a spot where she met Henry, she decided to go there. Not exactly knowing what she was doing, she sat on the grass. The memories hurt her, but also they were the only thing that she held onto. Without them, she really would be nothing. She was so absorbed in thoughts that she didn't notice, somebody sat next to her.

"Hi" she heard so familiar voice that she didn't even need to turn her head to know who it was.

"Henry..." she finally said.

"Ema" he replied with a smile. Using double 'm' was clearly a waste of time for him. Then he snuggled up to her. She didn't know what happened, but as she returned the hug, she suddenly felt good again.

"W...what are you doing here? Please don't say you run away again" she said with hope, because he was only damn four and it really wasn't safe for him to run away that often in a month.

"No" he answered right away and she could tell he was lying. "...not exactly..." and then the blonde thought that he definitely got the incompetence to obey the rules after his mother. "My grandmother is out of town for one day. She said that it's a business trip and she had to go" Henry started. "So my mom asked me to show her the place where I met you. You know, I gave her your noteee" he ended, clearly being proud of his important role. Emma's heart beat faster. "So we came here and I was just about to show her, but I saw you. And I didn't know if you want to see her, so I asked if I may first go on the swing. And she agreed" to the blonde it was still hard to believe that he was only four.

"She really asked you to show her?"

"Yeup. So you want to meet her?" his eyes lit up a bit. Emma hesitated. Cora's said things that were hard to forget, so now she was really not sure if she truly wanted to see the brunette. But she could't resist those eyes full of happiness. "It'll be okay you know? She didn't cry today, but I think that she also didn't sleep. I know that she was reading your note all the time" Henry said, as if talking about such things was something super natural. At these words Emma suddenly perfectly knew what she wanted to do.

"Okay buddy, let's go to see your mom" she stood up and grab his hand.

* * *

It was pointless. She didn't know why exactly she asked her son to bring her here. Maybe her mother was gone for a while, but was it really a good idea to disobey her...?

And it was the moment she saw her...All smiling and talking about something with her son who started to wave at her. For the brunette, everything was happening in slow motion.

"Mom!" her son said as they came closer. But to be honest, at that moment she wasn't looking at him at all. All she was seeing was the blonde woman, who was standing right in front of her.

"Emma..." she whispered and the blonde felt that she couldn't wait no more. She walked over and hugged the brunette with all her strength. She sniffed.

"Your mother told me about the...about...the..." Emma tried to speak, but she was shaking too much. Her teary eyes stared at her with care.

"Shh...it's okay right now...I'm okay" the brunette said, looking into her green eyes. And it was the truth. She hasn't felt that okay for all her life.

* * *

Later that day, they were in Regina's new apartment. It looked almost the same as the previous one, well, maybe except the Christmas tree.

Emma was sitting on the couch, waiting for the brunette to put Henry to sleep. Her thoughts were literally on fire. She felt all the emotions at once so clearly like never before and she wasn't sure how long she'll be able to keep them inside.

"He's sleeping" she heard a soft voice and the brunette sat next to her.

"Regina I..." Emma started, but her voice cracked.

"Hey, look at me" the brunette put her hand on Emma's chin and slightly lifted it up. "I'm fine Emma. Since you're here, everything is just perfectly fine" she leaned in and captured her lips with her own. The blonde wanted to embrace her, but she hesitated. She still had Cora's words in her mind. But Regina took her hands and put them on her waist. "I'm not afraid of you, I trust you" she whispered.

Emma took a moment to look into her eyes. Suddenly all her worries've disappeared. She didn't even bother to think what will happen when Cora return tomorrow. That wasn't important for her at all. All she cared about was right there in her arms.

"You're beautiful, you know?" she said imitating Henry's speech style and with that she caused a smile on Regina's face.

"I love you" the brunette finally said, entwining their fingers.

"And I love you. And I promise, I won't let you go this time" Emma replied and kissed the other woman with all the afection. Regina responded to the kiss even more passionately and that is how they fell asleep. Together, their bodies snuggled in each other with love.

 _The end_

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I hope that this ending is worth the story. Thank you once again for reviews.

Oh and of course if you have some idea for a plot in your mind, feel free to let me know about it, I'll be really happy to write another story for you.


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